The invention relates to an electronic device having a housing which has a housing wall with openings for control and/or display elements.
An electronic device of this kind may be for example a telephone, a cordless phone or mobile phone, a pocket calculator, a television set, a radio receiver or for example another electronic domestic appliance which, as a rule, is used by private individuals. If, for personal reasons or because of predetermined requirements, the external appearance of such an electronic device, for example the shape of the housing or its colour, is to be modified, as a rule this must be carried out by a specialist since during such an operation the electronic components present in the housing of the electronic device are usually exposed. Modification of the appearance of the housing of the electronic device is thus laborious, time-consuming and expensive and, moreover, can as a rule only rarely be carried out by private individuals.
In accordance with the invention there is provided an electronic device having a housing which has a housing wall with openings for control elements and/or display elements, characterized by attachment means for detachably connecting to the housing an external wall element which at least partially covers the housing wall, the external wall element having openings which are aligned with the openings in the housing wall. Advantageous refinements of the invention can be found in the subclaims.
An electronic device in accordance with the invention allows the external appearance of the housing to be modified rapidly and easily even by non-professionals.
With the electronic device according to the invention, a user thus has the possibility of modifying the appearance or design of the housing in an extremely short time and without any difficulty by selecting and fitting on an appropriate external wall element. The user can thus more or less change the housing according to his wishes if external elements with different shapes and colours are available to him for this purpose. Even external wall elements made of different materials are possible.
When the housing wall provided with openings is covered by the external wall element, the openings provided in the housing wall and in the external wall element are aligned with one another so that for example the push-button keys which project through the openings can continue to be used even after the external wall element is fitted on to the housing wall or display elements which are inserted into the openings can continue to be read. This also applies to microphones or loudspeakers inserted into opening, for example in the case of cordless telephones.
With the electronic device according to the invention, the electronics provided in the device are always protected against access by the customer when the external appearance of the housing is modified. Therefore, if one external wall element is to be replaced by another in order to give the electronic device a new design, there is no risk of the electronics present in the housing being damaged when the external wall elements are interchanged or of the user being subjected to danger by the electronics present inside the housing. In this respect, the external wall elements could even be interchanged when an electronic device is operating.
According to an advantageous refinement of the invention, the external wall element can engage, at least partially, over further housing walls of the housing so that the design of the housing can be modified to an even greater extent or adapted to the wishes of the user to an even greater degree.
At the same time, the profile of the external wall element can follow the profile of the housing walls of the housing if emphasis is being placed not so much on the modification of the shape of the housing but rather on changing the colour or the type of material of the housing. However, the external wall elements can of course have different shapes which can also deviate from one another to a greater degree provided it is ensured that after the respective external wall elements have been connected to the housing the respective openings in the fitted-on external wall element and in the housing wall in question are aligned with one another.
According to a very advantageous development of the invention, the external wall element can be of, for example, shell-shaped design so that it can be fitted for example with one edge on to a base which projects outwards beyond the side walls of the housing.
Any desired attachment means can be used to attach the external wall element to the housing of the electronic device, but attachment means with press-on/catch closure can preferably be used. They ensure a secure connection between the external wall element and the housing and, moreover, can be easily used without a special tool being required for them.